


Flexibility and Balance

by matosuwa



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, from my tumblr, rintori - Freeform, yoga class au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1837585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matosuwa/pseuds/matosuwa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin decides to take up yoga to help loosen his muscles up. Once in the studio, he realizes how hard yoga can be. But, of course, Nitori Aiichirou has to make it seem /so/ easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ayy this is from my tumblr! and i really didn't beta this so my apologies if there are a few mistakes.

Rin pulled the hood on his jacket lower over his forehead as he sloshed through the rain. The downpour had come out of nowhere, and only added to his gray mood this morning. If he’d had it his way, he’d still be fast asleep, warm and dry, safe from the bothersome rain.

But, instead of spending his first Monday of summer sleeping in, he was heading downtown, towards Inner Balance yoga studios. He scoffed internally at the situation, and ducked his head, hoping that it would lessen the torrent of precipitation. The streets were barely empty, except for a few business people who were rushing to work, carrying taunting umbrellas.

His jacket felt nothing more than a porous garbage bag, rather than a ninety dollar purchase. He yet again cursed this morning. It was all Gou’s idea… Yoga. She’d offered him the idea last week, when he’d complained of feeling too stiff and inflexible. He wanted to be able to slice easily through the water, with no resistant tendons or tense muscles to slow him down. Plus, yoga would be a great way to keep his energy levels up, and to exercise his body outside of the water. Gou had been extremely persistent that he try out Inner Balance, because she was a satisfied customer, even though she rarely made it down there for a class.

Finally, he caught sight of the serene blue awning, framing a stark white door. He sped forwards, basking in the dryness under the awning. He pulled off his hood and shook some excess water from his damp hair, and unzipped his clingy jacket. He still had to change out of his street clothes, and into the workout clothes in his gym bag. He’ most likely be twenty minutes late to the class, at least. He was already missing the introductions.

The inside of the studios was much like the outside. Sterile, white, with accents of light cyan and gray. Pulsing, new age panflute music played on the speakers, and the waiting area was furnished with white couches, a babbling zen fountain, and various self help magazines. The polished bamboo floors complimented the color scheme, and added to the heavenly affect of the studio.

The receptionist sat behind a (white, what else?) desk. She was tapping away on a keyboard, but looked up at Rin from behind black rimmed glasses. She shot him a dazzling smile, and asked if he needed anything.

“Uh, the locker rooms? Where are those?” Rin asked, tightening his grip on the bag’s worn straps.

She pointed to the staircase that lead up to the second floor of the studio. “Just up there! There’ll be a sign on the door. What class are you participating in this morning?”

“Beginners Sun Salutations?” Rin informed her, but made it sound like a question.

She glanced at a sheet of paper on her desk, “Ah… Classroom 4. That class has started already… But, that’s not a huge problem! Can I have your name, sir?”

“Matsuoka,” Rin said, trying not to peer over the desk out of curiosity. She glanced down at her desktop screen.

“Matsuoka Gou?” She asked, obviously having found his sister’s old customer information. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see that you’ve signed up for today’s class.”

Rin flushed. This was taking longer that he’d anticipated. “Ah, no… Matsuoka Rin.” He stated, politely as he could.

She moved her mouse, and then sent him an apologetic smile. “So sorry, Mr. Matsuoka. You’re all set for today’s class! Go right on up, and the bill will be sent to you via email!”

“Thank you,” He said, relieved that this little orientation was coming to an end.

Heading up the staircase, he took note of the various black and white photographs of barren landscapes. Empty deserts, desolate tundras, and stormy skies crackling with lightening were some of the photos framed in sleek black ebony.

The music on the second floor was nonexistent, probably to keep the classes undisturbed. He found the men’s locker room and changed into his work out clothes a quickly as possible, leaving his shoes and socks behind. He nearly forgot to grab the deep purple mat that Gou had leant him.

He located room number four, and took in a shaky breath. He hated being late for group events. It made him seem so unprofessional. As silently as possible, Rin pushed open the door.

To his luck, it seemed that the class was in a sort of meditation. The only vacant matt space left was in the front row, nearest to the windows. The teacher, a middle aged man with a bald head and scraggly goatee nodded to him with an understanding smile. Rin nodded back sheepishly, before unrolling the matt and smoothing it down. He plunked down, feeling more than lost.

He glanced at the teacher, hoping for some guidance, but he was facing towards the mirrors like everyone else, eyes closed. Rin glanced to the boy next to him, and copied his positioning.

The boy, smaller in stature with a choppy grey haircut, had his legs folded up like a pretzel. Knees on the ground, legs crossed, ankles resting on the opposite calves. Just looking at him sitting in such a perfected lotus made Rin’s hamstrings ache. He settled for the modified version, just crossing his feet and sitting up as straight as possible.

Something about the boy seemed so much for relaxed than Rin. He shifted around on his tailbone, before huffing and glancing back over. The boy was taking steady even breaths through his nose, in time with the “nature sounds” soundtrack that was playing from somewhere in the room.

Rin shifted around again, before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. He peeked over at the boy again, hoping for some sort of advice on how to meditate.

To Rin’s surprise, he met his eyes. Rin felt embarrassed for peeking, almost as if he was caught cheating on a test. The bright aqua eyes were wide and calming to look at. The eye’s owner offered him a tiny, peaceful smile.

Rin just blinked at him. The boy glanced at the teacher, before turning back towards Rin.

“Try relaxing your shoulders.” He whispered, eyes darting back to meet his. “You look really tensed up.”

Rin nodded, and dropped the structured hold of his upper body. That felt better. He closed his eyes and drew in another breath. He started at the feel of a finger poking at his leg. It was the boy again.

Rin shot him a look. The boy offered an earnest smile.

“Uh…” The boy began, his voice still dropped low in a whisper. “You should try sitting up on your hips more… If that makes sense. You’re sitting incorrectly for lotus.”

Rin rolled on his butt upwards a bit, onto the “sit spots” directly under his glutes. That straightened his back out majorly. He refolded his legs and glanced back at the boy for reassurance.

The boy nodded, and gave him a thumbs up. Rin blinked again, and closed his eyes.

Just as he finally began to get the hang of this meditation concept, the teacher’s voice broke the silence. It was much deeper than Rin had given him credit for, and thundered through the lofty room like a bass tone.

He instructed the class to stand, and Rin watched in amazement as the boy beside him stood quickly, with out even pushing up on his hands. That had to take some strength, plus balance, that Rin lacked.

He planted his feet on the mat, and listened carefully to the teacher’s demonstration. Exhale, shoulders back, feet hip’s width apart, head and neck extended upwards, hands pressed together at the chest. Mountain pose.

The second step was to lean back as far as possible, with your hips forward, hands back over your head, and chest upwards. Inhale.

_This isn’t so bad…_  Rin mused, a bit smug. Was yoga easy? Or was he just good at it?

The third step crushed all those arrogant thoughts dead in their tracks. Forwards fold…

Rin could barely touch his toes, and his legs and back screamed out in protest. The boy besides him had his hands pressed flat onto the ground, head resting contently against his thighs.  _Is that physically possible??_

Indeed it was. The teacher was in the same blissful state of insane flexibility. Rin swallowed his pride entirely, and let out a sharp exhale.

He thought he saw those bright blue eyes examining him from the mirror’s reflection as he rose out of the fold, but chose to ignore it. He followed the teacher into a deep lunge, with his right foot back behind him, palms flat on the ground, and left knee bent.  _I’m not meant to bend like this!!_

__

The fifth position in the salutation was a Rin-friendly plank that dropped down to him pushing his upper body off of the mat. Shaky inhale… Cobra pose.

Downward dog was torture, and he forced himself to stay upright as he exhaled. He had to keep on his toes, unlike Mr. Yogi beside him, whose feet were pressed all the way down.

Another lunge, and another dreadful forward fold, reaching back, and then retracting into mountain pose.  _One salutation done… Three more to go._

At the end of the class, Rin hadn’t expected himself to be so sweaty. He had not enjoyed this…

As he rolled up his mat, he felt that boy hovering next to him. He stood to his full height, and realized how much taller he was.

“Hi!” The boy said, offering him a small hand to shake. “I thought I should introduce myself. I’m Nitori Aiichirou.”

Rin shook the small, soft hand lightly. “Matsuoka Rin,”

Nitori shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I’m guessing you’ve never done yoga before?”

Rin snorted, “Obvious, isn’t it?”

Nitori flushed, “Erm… Most boy’s aren’t that flexible… so don’t take it personally.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t.”  Rin replied sharply.

“I just… Would you like some help?” Nitori asked, “With yoga I mean?”

Rin shot him a sidelong glance. “What do I need to improve on?”

Nitori bit his lip. “Here, roll out your mat again.”

Rin complied. The rest of the class had left, including the teacher. The smack of his rubber matt hitting the wooden floor sounded all over the room.

“Get into mountain pose, and then extend back,” Nitori directed.

Rin did as told, feeling a bit awkward. He exhaled, and extended back. Nitori circled around him, and Rin nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt those hands on his torso. One pressed lightly against Rin’s chest, the other hand on the center of his back. They pushed Rin back just a little further, increasing the stretch in his abdominals. Nitori let go, and Rin fought off the blush creeping onto his cheeks. Inhale…

“You were having a lot of trouble on the forward fold, huh?” Nitori asked, and Rin nodded. “That one’s a tricky one. It took me a while to get the hang of when I was starting out.”

“When did you start doing yoga?” Rin asked, bending forwards. Nitori stood next to him, and lightly guided him down by pressing on one of his well-muscles shoulders.

“When I was six,” Nitori said, and giggled lightly.

_Cutecutecutecutecute_

Rin chuckled, “Oh, so that explains a lot.”

Nitori let go of his shoulder and circled him. “Explains what?” He asked, “Oh.. relax the tension between your shoulder blades. That should help.” He added.

Rin let his shoulder blades release, and he felt his arms hang lower. His fingertips  _just_  brushed against his mat. Better than before.

Rin exhaled into the fold, “Why you’re so good at yoga.” He murmured, voice garbled by the position. “What’re you doing in a beginner’s class?”

Nitori swallowed the lump in his throat, his face feeling hot. “T-thank you!” He exclaimed. “And the Sun Salutation is what I do every morning at home. Since it’s summer now, I decided to come into class! The salutation is a basic routine, so it’s in the beginner’s category here.”

Rin nodded, as well as he could.

They moved quickly from the first lunge, down into the plank.

“You’re good at the chaturanga!” Nitori encouraged.

Rin smiled a bit, and enjoyed the burn in his arm muscles as he lowered his body weight down onto the mat.

With Nitori’s help, Rin managed to successfully complete the sun salutation, or _“surya namaskar,”_  as Nitori had informed him.

He walked out into the street with the younger boy at his side. The rain has dissolved into thick humidity, and left the summer morning unbearably muggy.

“Good bye, Matsuoka senpai!” Nitori said, tilting his head as he smiled.

“Senpai?” Rin blurted.

“You are older than me, right?” Nitori asked, eyes fixed on him.

“Well, yeah, but you could just call me Rin,” He offered, taken aback.

Aiichirou shrugged. He rocked up onto his toes, and clasped his hands out in front of him. “I guess I’ll see you next Monday?”

Rin nodded, “Sure,”

Nitori hesitated. “If you want some more practice, you should come in on Wednesday. They have open studio time, and I have a free room. I could help you some more?” The younger boy asked, eyes hopeful.

Rin tried to keep his face blank, and he offered an aloof, “okay.”

Nitori seemed positively radiant as he nodded, “Cool! See you Wednesday, senpai!”

Rin nodded.  _Wednesday._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin practices his salutations so he can impress his new yogi. Aiichirou and Rin get to know each other outside of the studio!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos + comments would be hella rad!!!!!!

Tuesday evening, Rin felt woefully unprepared to go and see Nitori. He’d given himself a break from yoga today- he deserved to rest up after that torturous class Monday. But still, even as his hamstrings ached from being pushed well past their firm limits, he felt like he should save his pride a bit. Nitori had to have been silently laughing at him all throughout the class, right?

The kid was so damn good at it… so much more flexible and pliant than the average person. And it wasn’t like he was under-muscled, either. Sure, he wasn’t as built as  himself or Makoto, but still had an admirable tone in his calves and arms, and Rin wondered if his stomach was just as taut.

Noticing that his mind was slowly rolling into the gutter, the redhead pushed up off of his bed and grabbed the mat he’d used yesterday. He unrolled it and smoothed it out over the hardwood, then lent across his desk to access his laptop. Upon reaching google, his fingers paused over the keys, and a startling recognition dawned.

_I don’t know a thing about yoga to begin with…_

Rin chuckled dryly as he tapped out the simple request- “easy yoga for beginners.” How humbling.

A few articles and tutorials popped up, and Rin selected the first Youtube video he saw. It was mercifully short- just eight minutes. Doable.

He propped the laptop up on some books and took his place on the mat, not knowing if he was practicing for the sake of getting better at yoga, or just to impress Nitori. He shook his head, and tied his hair back as the instructor introduced herself. It was in English; the teacher was Australian, to be more precise. Rin settled back into the routine of following instructions in English, a language rarely used since moving back to Japan.

The way she giddily hopped backwards onto her mat reminded Rin of a certain over-enthusiastic yogi, and he couldn’t help but smile as he stretched his arms over his head and inhaled deeply through his nose. The sequence began with a forward fold, and Rin rolled his eyes. The instructor, like Nitori, hugged her legs as she surrendered herself into the pose. Rin, however, found this position still painfully difficult without Nitori’s gentle hands and persistent guidance.

The routine lead him down onto the floor, into a serene “child’s pose.” Deep inhale, then up onto his hands and knees with a flat back. He held this for a while, until instructed to round his spine and lower his hips into “cat” pose. Following this in contrast, was “cow,” meaning he had to tilt his hips backwards and curve his back down. This felt amazing on his swimmer’s shoulders.

The routine also brought him back to yesterday’s downward dog. From there’ he went into single leg lunges, and then a few variations of the “warrior pose,” which he quite liked.

However, he knew that Nitori could probably do all these in his sleep. Probably, ten times better than Rin in his sleep.

The video dwindled off, and left rin sitting in the lotus position that he’d botched at the beginning of class yesterday. Though, Nitori had helped him-

_Can’t I do yoga without thinking about him?_ Rin asked himself, begrudgingly. _That choppy haircut and those_ eyes _, not to mention the little birthmark…_

He pressed the heel of his palm against his head, skin warm. Glancing at the time, he decided if he didn’t want to be falling asleep all throughout his private class with Nitori, he might consider sleeping now.

 

 

The next morning, he noticed that the receptionist was absent from her sterile, white desk. Strange…

It wasn’t even that early- same time as Monday’s class. He shrugged and wandered up the staircase, past the vacant photographs. Inside the changing rooms, he dressed quickly, eagerly.  Rin felt embarrassed for being so apprehensive.

He sucked in his shaky breaths before pushing open the classroom door, finding Nitori happily chatting with the receptionist. She glanced up at Rin as he stood in the doorway. Nitori turned around too, eye’s brightening at the sight of him.

“Rin-senpai!” Nitori cheered, waving at him. “C’mon in!”

Rin clutched his mat closer to his side as he wandered into the room, watching as Nitori turned back to the receptionist.

“Thanks for unlocking the stereo system for me!” Nitori said and inclined his head slightly, smile wide.

The receptionist smiled back, “Of course, Nitori-kun!”

She promptly left, and Rin flinched at the echo of the door clicking shut.

“Good morning!” Nitori greeted him, hands clasped in front of him.

Rin blushed slightly at Nitori’s endearing… everything.

“Morning,” Rin said, trying to keep his voice level. He unrolled his mat and spread it out, next to Nitori’s.

“Do you mind if I play some music?” Nitori asked, holding up his iPod.

Rin shook his head, and Nitori smiled in response. He wandered over to the speaker, and plugged it in.

A quick, upbeat song instantly filled the room, and Rin smirked. “Is this… K-pop?”

Nitori laughed bashfully, “… Yeah… Do you like Exo?”

Rin shook his head, “I’ve heard my sister playing this in her room once or twice before. Doesn’t really suit the rest of the studio, though, eh?”

Nitori laughed, “I don’t really like listening to nature noises while doing yoga… Fun music makes it even more enjoyable!”

Rin shrugged indifferently, not understanding any of the words being sung, and rolled his shoulders back, feeling a delicious release that sounded with a pop of sore joints.

“Do you wanna do some stretches first?” Nitori asked, propping himself up with on arm.

Thoughts of Nitori’s hands gliding over his back and legs flooded his mind, and he lost himself in the mental images briefly. Nitori snapped his fingers, and Rin swallowed thickly.

“So… stretching?” Nitori asked, again.

“Uh…” Rin finally replied, “Sure…”

“Great!” Nitori stated cheerily. “Hold on, I need to pop my hip really quick…”

Rin watched in slack-jawed amazement as Nitori split his legs and collapsed against himself, chest pressed against the mat. Nitori shifted, and the quiet sound of released tension from his hip flexors followed. Nitori sighed contently, and rose back up.

Rin took a deep breath, trying to flush all of the less-than-innocent thoughts from his mind, but  _dear God_ , could that boy  _bend_.

After ten minutes of Rin being awkward, and Nitori trying to be easy on him, they started the actual yoga. Even though Nitori was settled back onto the mat beside his, Rin missed the sensation of those reassuring hands and thin fingers pressing down on him, coaxing his utmost flexibility from his muscles, pushing his body to the brink. Nitori smelled like warm laundry, straight from the dryer, and green tea.

The routine was similar to the one Rin did last night, and the cat/cow sequence was incorporated.

“Looking good, Rin-senpai!” Nitori encouraged, grinning at him through the mirror’s reflection.

Rin flashed his sharp teeth back, his chest flooding with validated pride.

 

 

Within the hour, Rin felt his confidence about yoga rising. Now at least, it wasn’t painful to do the simple poses. And, he dented a bit of progress in the forwards fold.

Nitori offered him a wide, sunny smile as he rolled up his mat. “Great job, senpai!” He said, tilting his head slightly to the left in  _the_  most endearing way possible.

Rin rubbed the back of his neck, flushed. “Ah, thanks, Nitori… You don’t have to keep calling me that, though…”

Nitori unplugged his iPod, “What? Senpai?”

Rin nodded.

Nitori giggled, “But I like calling you that!” He said, “If it bothers you too much… I’ll stop.”

“I have a better idea,” Rin chuckled, “I’ll just give  _you_  a nickname, too.”

Nitori looked up at him, eyes wide and sparkly. “Like what?”

Rin mulled it over in his mind for a second. Aiichirou… Aiichirou…

“What about…” Rin started, “Ai? Ai!”

Nitori blushed, picking up on the meaning probably before Rin did. Despite the romantic undertones, he nodded swiftly, “Ah- okay, Rin-senpai. If you want to call me that…”

Rin grinned, and rolled up his mat. He yawned, loudly, and checked his phone for the time. “Ah, I’m so tired… I didn’t have any coffee this morning.”

Ai brightened, “There’s a coffee shop across the street! I’ll go with you, as long as you buy me something in exchange for today’s lessons!”

Rin blushed a bit. “Sounds fair…”

The coffee shop was busy for a Wednesday morning. It was the time of morning between breakfast and lunch, and college kids were taking up most of the bar and tables. Nitori walked up and into the line, Rin in tow.

The place was earthy, with nature-inspired colors and vegan bakery items, which Rin turned his nose up at slightly. The expanse of tea seemed to catch Ai’s attention, and the boy seemed to be putting serious thought into which one he should choose.

After placing their order- one black coffee and one ginger/jasmine blend, they sat down at a high-topped table by the windows. Nitori wrinkled his nose at Rin’s drink.

“Coffee’s bad for you, you know!” Nitori said, eyes wide.

Rin raised an eyebrow teasingly as he took a long sip, finishing it off with an obnoxious  _aaahh_. “Seems fine to me, Ai.”

Aiichirou rolled his eyes, fighting back a smile. “It gonna stunt your growth!”

“I’m almost six feet tall, and done growing.” Rin remarked, then smirked, “A lot taller than you, by the way.”

Nitori folded his arms, “Well, caffeine is a drug! It’s just like how everyone used to smoke in the eighties and thought nothing of it… Coffee’ll be like that in ten years.”

Rin chuckled, and took another sip. “I’ll enjoy this while I can, then.”

Nitori laughed and raised his cup up to his mouth, turning to gaze out onto the street. The trees were all perfectly green in the height of summer, and the sky was a pretty shade of blue.

_Not as pretty as Aiichirou’s eyes, though_ … Rin thought, taking this time to admire the younger boy’s dainty profile. He looked like some sort of delicate fairy, and Rin wanted to reach out and make sure he was real.

_He had to be real,_  Rin thought. He’d felt those hands on him before.

Nitori turned back towards Rin, who jerked his eyes away at the last second and became fixated in the dark liquid of his cup.

_Was he staring… at me?_  Nitori asked himself, running a hand over his face to feel for anything that could’ve drawn Rin’s attention.

He gulped down some more tea, and glanced back up, this time meeting Rin’s eyes, which had been on him once again.

“What?” Nitori asked, testing the boundaries of the conversation. Rin flushed, almost averting his eyes again.

Instead, he swallowed his nerves. “When can we practice again?” 


End file.
